EasyJet is going to start rejecting passengers who arrive at airport security less than half-an-hour before departure, cracking down on those who make a last minute dash to their flight.
The Independent reports that the budget airline has already asked Gatwick airport to “reprogramme its security barriers at which travellers have their boarding passes scanned to reject those with less than half an hour remaining before departure.”
Passengers are being warned of the changes on their boarding pass.
The small print reportedly reads: “Gatwick security control gates are automatically being timed to close 30 minutes before departure.”
Those who do not make it on time will have the option to return to the EasyJet desk and pay a ‘rescue fee’ of £80 to book another flight.
The Gatwick airport security barriers used to allow last-minute passengers through the checkpoint and make a mad dash to the departure gate – potentially missing their flight.
A spokesperson for the airline told The Independent that the new rule will benefit passengers.
He said that the new rule means passengers will no longer have to “needlessly clear security at the point where the gate is already closed.”
The barrier closure is “dictated by live flight data, based on the actual time of the flight and not the scheduled time,” meaning that some “leeway” is given.
“Occasionally, gates may not shut precisely at – 30 [minutes before departure] for a number of operational and passenger reasons,” the spokesperson said.
Passengers who arrive after the cut-off time will be told to go to the EasyJet desk and ‘rearrange’ their flights – but they will have to pay the ‘rescue fee’.
